The 6th century BCE started the first day of 600 BCE and ended the last day of 501 BCE.

Map of the world in 500 BC

Pāṇini, in India, composed a grammar for Sanskrit, in this century or slightly later.[1] This is the oldest still known grammar of any language.

In the Near East, the first half of this century was dominated by the Neo-Babylonian or Chaldean empire, which had risen to power late in the previous century after successfully rebelling against Assyrian rule. The Kingdom of Judah came to an end in 586 BCE when Babylonian forces under Nebuchadnezzar II captured Jerusalem, and removed most of its population to their own lands. Babylonian rule was toppled however in the 540s, by Cyrus, who founded the Persian Empire in its place. The Persian Empire continued to expand and grew into the greatest empire the world had known at the time.